Desiccative syringe



` Oct. l5, 1968 R. 1 PIERICK 3,405,712

DES ICCATIVE SYRINGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb.

Oct. 15, 1968 R. l.. PIERICK DESICCATIVE SYRINGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledFeb. '7, 1966 /m/E/vro 8 Qc/Meo Pfff/6K United States Patent O 3,405,712DESICCATIVE SYRINGE Richard L. Pierick, 2800 Tiffin, Des Moines, Iowa50317 Filed Feb. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 525,479 3 Claims. (Cl. 12S-218)ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The invention is embodied in a single deviceusable both as a desiccator for a powdered medicament, and as atransporter of the powdered medicament under vacuum in conjunction witha liquid medicament physically separated therefrom, until at the pointof use the device is operable to mix the medicaments prior to ejectiontherefrom by means of a hypodermic needle affixed thereto. Thearrangement includes forming one end of the powdered medicament-holdingcasing with at least one flute formed on its interior, which fluteenables an evacuation of moisture from the powdered medicament heldwithin the interior of the casing, past a portion of a tube insertedinto the casing prior to the desiccation process, which tube holds theliquid medicament. At the end of the desiccation process, the tube isforced past the flute and further into the casing such that the relativepositions of the tube and the casing effect a sealing relationshipbetween the powdered medicament, now under a vacuum, and the liquidmedicament. At the point of use, due t0 the provision of a cannula tubeheld within the casing, and which tube has a trio of longitudinallyspaced portions formed therein, one of which is at the pointed end ofthe tube, and the other two of which are not in fluid communicationwithin the tube, coaction between the tube and the casing effects firsta mixing of the medicaments together, and secondly an ejectiontherefrom, said ejection being transmitted by a hypodermic-type needlewhich has been aflixed to the casing.

This invention relates to a syringe, and more particularly to a syringewhich is suitable to be placed in a desiccator, wherein the diluent isinitially sealed in one element of the syringe and the pharmaceutical,or biological, to be desiccated is initially contained in anotherseparate element of the syringe. The elements of the syringe aremanipulatable to accomplish admixture of the diluent and thepharmaceutical, and then are operable as a piston and cylinder means toeject the resulting mixture in the hypodermic administration thereof.

The general known practice is to place the diluent in one sealed bottleand the desiccated pharmaceutical in a second bottle for shipment to theplace of use. The diluent is then removed from the bottle by a syringewherein a hypodermic needle attached thereto is forced through the sealand the diluent is drawn into the syringe. The seal of thepharmaceutical bottle is then punctured by the hypodermic needle and thediluent is then ejected therein. The diluent and desiccatedpharmaceutical are thoroughly mixed and again the hypodermic needle isforced into the bottle to withdraw the mixture prior to injection intothe patient.

It is well known that it is extremely diiiicult if not impossible tomeet the sanitary requirements necessary in the hypodermicadministration of a desiccated pharmaceutical when the diluent is addedat the time of use and then the mixture must be placed in a syringe foradministration thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide a multi-compartrnent syringe,wherein each compartment contains one component of a charge, which canbe placed in a desic- JCC cator for desiccation of one of thecomponents, shipped, and then used as a syringe without structuralchange.`

Another object of the invention is the provision of a syringe of a twopart, two compartment, telescopically arranged structure7 whereinabsolutely perfect sanitation is provided, no contamination of onecomponent of a charge with another component being possible.

A further object of this invention is to provide a multicompartmentsyringe, wherein the desiccated product occupies one compartment and thediluent occupies another, and both compartments can be shipped togetheras a unit.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a syringe carryingtwo components of a charge in separated compartments, which isconstructed for placement in a conventional desiccator chamber, andmanipulatable to effeet a mixing immediately prior to use of thecomponents.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a syringeemploying only a casing for containing one component of a charge to beejected by a syringe, and a plunger slidable into the easing, and withthe plunger containing another component of a charge, and wherein thecasing and the plunger are operable in one position to effect acondition suitable for the desiccation of the first component with thesecond component in a sealed condition, operable in a second position toeffect a transportation eondition with both components sealed oli,operable in a third position to provide a mixing condition where thecomponents are mixed together within the casing, and operable in afourth position wherein the casing assumes the function of a cylinderand lthe plunger assumes the function of a piston to eject the mixedcharge from the casing.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a syringeparticularly constructed for use in a desiccator wherein the shelves ofthe latter are moved relative to each other, the syringe operable topermit desiccation of a pharmaceutical carried therein, and responsiveto the operation of the desiccator to seal the desiccated pharmaceuticalfor future ejection by the syringe itself without other attachments,except for a conventional hypoderrnic needle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a syringe capable ofattaining the above designated objectives, which is economical tomanufacture, simple and rugged in construction, and effective in use.

These objects and other features and advantages of this invention willbe readily apparent according to the following description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is an exploded, sectional view of the elements of the syringe ofthis invention taken along the longitudinal axis of the syringe;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view of the syringe, showing the partsthereof in a desiccation position, with a pair of components to make upan injection charge shown in separated compartments;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of the tubetaken along the longitudinal axis thereof;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 2,wherein the plunger part of the syringe is shown in a transportationposition;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 2, andshowing the parts in a third position permitting thereby the componentsto be mixed;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, lfragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 6,wherein the plunger part of the syringe is shown in a fourth positionwherein the components are mixed and sealed in the casing;

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary sectional 3 view, wherein thesyringe has been rotated to a position immediately prior to use with ahypodermic needle unit attached to the exposed end of the casing; and

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the syringe with a hypodermic needle attached.

Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the syringe ofthis invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. l and 2. Thesyringe comprises basically a casing 11 having an open top end 12, and anozzletype bottom end 13 normally closed by a cap 14. A tubular plunger16 is provided for axial, reciprocable inser tion into the casing 11,having a closed upper end 17 and an open lower end 18 normally sealed bya knob 19. A tube 21 is mounted in the casing 11 on the longitudinalaxis thereof.

More specifically, the casing 11 comprises an elongated cylindrical body22, the inner Wall surface 23 of which has a substantially constantdiameter, forming a substantially cylindrical interior 24, adapted tocontain one component 25 (FIG. 2) of a charge to lbe ejected by thesyringe 10. A passage 26 is axially formed through the bottom end 13. Anannular end llange 27 is provided at the top end of the casing body 22.A plurality of arcuately and equally spaced, longitudinally extendedflutes 28 are formed in the casing 'body 22, as best shown in FIGS. land 3, which are open to the interior 24.

A first annular flange 29 (FIG. 1), extending into the interior 24, isformed on the interior wall 23 intermediate the top and fbottom ends 12and 13, respectively, of the casing 11. A second annular llange 31 (FIG.l), extending into the interior 24, is Iformed on the interior 4wall 23parallel to and spaced a certain distance from the irst flange 29 towardthe bottom end 13. The diameters of the flanges 29 and 31 aresubstantially identical, and are less than the diameter of the body 22.It will also 'be noted that the utes 28 extend from the inner edge ofthe flange 27 toward but ending intermediate the edge and the closestange 29.

The tube 21 (FIG. l), having an outer end 32 mounted in the opening 26,is hollow, with the inner pointed end 33 located longitudinallyintermediate the first and second flanges 29 and 31. Two longitudinallyspaced cut-outs 34 and 36 (FIG. 4) are formed in the tube 21, andiluidly communicate thhe interior of the tube 21 with the casinginterior 24. The llrst cut-out 34 is disposed immediately below thesecond flange 31, as best shown in FIG. 2, and the second cut-out 36 isdisposed near the bottom end 13. The interior of the tube 21 is closedby a plu-g 37 (FIG. 4) or by crimping intermediate the cut-outs 34 and36. The outer end 32 extends through the ybottom end 13 and fluiditycommunicates the interior 24 with the atmosphere.

More particularly as to the plunger 16 (FIG. l) it comprises also acylindrical body 38, the outer diameter of which is substantiallyconstant and which is less than the inner diameter of the casing wall 22and the inner diameter of the flanges 29 and 31. The cavity 41 formedwithin the body 38 is adapted to contain a second component of thecharge 42 to be ejected by the syringe 10. In certain instances theupper end 17 should be flat to facilitate the manipulation of theplunger 16.

The knob 19 (FIG. 1), of a deformable material, has an annular flange 43formed thereon which has an outer diameter substantially equal to theinner diameter of the body 38, thus providing an effective seal when theknob 19 is inserted into the body 38. A flange 44 is integrally formedon the knob 19, as best shown in FIG. 1, having an outer diametersubstantially equal to the inner diameter of the casing wall 22. Thisprovides that the plunger 16 slides tightly into the casing 11, with theflange 44 effecting a seal with the interior surface 23 at any time itengages the wall 22, except as seen hereinafter.

In operation, the second component 42 of the charge, generally a diluentsuch as distilled water, is placed in the plunger 16 and the knob 19 isinserted therein, thus sealing the diluent in the plunger 16. The firstcomponent 25 of the charge, a pharmaceutical, is placed in the casing 11`with the cap 14 closing the bottom end thereof, and the plunger isinserted, 'with the flange 44 of the knob 19 disposed intermediate thelongitudinal axis of the flutes 28, as best shown in FIG. 2.

In the condition of FIG. 2, the syringe 10 is then placed in adesiccator in a vertical position with the cap 14 at the bottom, and thepharmaceutical is desiccated. The moisture extracted from thepharmaceutical `will be drawn off and out of the casing interior 24through the ilutes 28, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2.

Upon completion of the desiccation cycle, the plunger 16 is pressed downby the desiccator shelf or other struc ture until the tlange 44 seatsagainst the first flange 29, as best shown in FIG. 5. The syringe 10(FIG. 5) is thereby automatically, in response to operation of thesandwich, shelf-type desiccator, placed in its transportation position.The two components 25 and 42 are separated, one in the casing 11 and theother in the plunger 16, by the sealed nature of the flanges 43 and 44.The frictional engagement of the flange 44 with the casing wall 22 issufficiently tight such that ordinary transportation jarring of thesyringe 10 in the FIG; 5 condition would not cause relative movement ofthe casing 11 and the plunger 16. Further, the shipping container itselfcould be molded to fit the parts of the syringe in their FIG. 5 positionto aid in preventing the relative movement.

At the point of use, the syringe 10 is grasped in the normal manner withthe ngers below the flange 27 of the casing 11, and with the thumbagainst the upper end 17 of the plunger. The plunger 16 is moved intothe casing 11, effecting actually a relative movement of both parts, Itmay be necessary to supply a slight twisting motion of the plunger 16 toenable the flange 44 of the knob 19 to pass the first flange 29 of thecasing 11.

Axial movement of the plunger 16 relative to the casing 11 is continueduntil the llange 44 seats against the second flange 31 of the casing 11,as best shown in FIG. 5, whereby the pointed end 33 of the tube 21pierces the center of the knob 19 and the flange 44 is disposedintermediate the tubes pointed end 33 and the first cut-out 34. Thediluent 42 is then immediately sucked into the casing interior 24 by thevacuum in the interior 24 created by the desiccation process, whereuponit mixes with the pharmaceutical .25. This llow is indicated by thearrows in FIG. 6, wherein the diluent flows from the cavity 41 outwardlythrough the tube 21 from the pointed end 33 and out through the rstcut-out 34 into the casing interior 24. At the same time that thediluent flows into the casing interior 24, the air in the plunger cavity41 is also sucked into the casing interior 24 so as to equalize the airpressure within the two cavities.

Continued axial movement of the plunger 16 relative to the casing 11,with possibly a slight twisting, if necessary, brings the parts toanother relative position best illustrated in FIG. 7. The flange 44 haspassed the second ilange 31 of the casing and is positioned intermediatethe first cutout 34 and the second cut-out 36 of the tube 21. Theresulting mixture is then shaken to make certain that all of thepharmaceutical 25 is dissolved. It should be noted that one using thesyringe may easily see these various elements. The air entrapped withthe casing 24 will flow out through the first cut-out 34 and into theplunger cavity 41 until the flange 44 passes downwardly past the cut-out34, thus easing the axial movement of the plunger 16 into the casing 11.With the llange 44 disposed between the mixture and the cut-out 34, anddue to the crimp 37, the two components 25 and 42 are now prevented fromleaking or being forced from the casing interior 24 to the plungercavity 41 via the tube 21.

The syringe 10 is then turned upside down, or turned to a position fromthat of FIGS. 1-7, whereby the charge rests against the knob 19 (FIG. 8)by gravity. In this position of the syringe 10, the cap 14 can beremoved and a hypodermic needle unit 46 substituted therefor.

The syringe is now ready for use. The plunger 16 is then insertedfurther into the casing 11 to elect an egress of the charge containedtherein through the needle unit 46.

Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described anddisclosed hereinbefore, it is to be remembered that variousmodifications and alternate constructions can be made thereto withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A desiccative syringe comprising in combination:

a casing open at one end and having a cylindrical interior with aconstant inner diameter except for having a pair of longitudinallyspaced annular flanges formed therein the inner diameters of which areless than said interior diameter, said casing having a plurality ofarcuately spaced utes formed on the interior surface thereof andextending from the edge of said end toward the closest of said flanges;

a tube mounted axially in said casing at an end opposite said one end tocommunicate said casing interior with the atmosphere, said tube havingan inner pointed open end located intermediate said liange closest tosaid opposite end and having a pair of longitudinally spaced portsformed threin intermediate said open end and said casing opposite end,each port communicating the interior of the tube with said casinginterior, and said tube interior closed intermediate said ports;

a hollow plunger closed at one end, open at the other end, and having anouter diameter less than the inner diameter of said casing interior; and

a resilient knob closing said other plunger end and having an annularflange of substantially the same outer diameter as said casing interiorinner diameter, said knob insertable into said casing open end in asealing manner and adapted to be pierced by said tube pointed end,receiving said tube in a sealing manner;

said ange having a thickness less than the axial distance from said tubepointed open end to the port closest thereto, less than the axialdistance betwen said ports, less than the axial distance between saidtube pointed open end and the liange closest thereto, and less than theaxial length of said flutes.

2. A desiccative syringe comprising in combination:

a tubular casing closed at one end and open at the other end and havinga substantially constant inner diameter, said casing having at least oneute formed on the interior surface thereof, said ute extended from saidopen end inwardly thereof; a cannula tube mounted axially in said casingat said 5 closed end and communicating said casing interior with theatmosphere, said tube having a pointed open end, and having a pair oflongitudinally spaced ports formed therein between said open end andsaid casing closed end within said casing interior, said tube 10interior closed intermediate said ports;

cap means detachably secured to said casing closed end for closing ofrrsaid tube from the atmosphere; and

a hollow plunger having one end the circumference of which is slightlysmaller than said casing inner diameter, said one end frictionallyinserted into said casing open end, said plunger one end having aportion thereof of a material pierceable by said tube pointed open end,and the thickness of said portion being less than the axial distancefrom said tube pointed open end to the port closest thereto, less thanthe axial distance between said ports, and less than the axial distanceof said ute;

said plunger adapted to have a liquid medicament therein, and saidcasing adapted to have a powdered medicament therein under a vacuum whensaid tube one end portion is inserted into said casing between saidflute and said casing closed end.

3. A desiccative syringe as defined in claim 2, and further wherein saidcap means includes a cap engageable with a substantially flat surfacefor supporting the remainder of the desiccative syringe in an uprightposition for desiccation purposes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 45 934,524 8/1963 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

M. F. MAJESTIC, Assistant Examiner.

